Do you ever read the same book more than once?

Some say there are too many books out there to read the same one twice. Others love returning to a book they love. What’s your opinion?

I love to read, well, mostly I listen to books. I think both arguments have merit. That said, here are two reasons why I read some books multiple times.

Continued Study: Many of the books I have read are essentially manuals on self-improvement. Topics ranging from psychology, philosophy, and relationships to business, science, or biography. So many of the books I’ve read have helped me strive for personal improvement. Often I’ll listen to the book once, usually while exercising or commuting, and when it’s something I really love, I’ll listen again and buy a hard copy so I can take notes in it and return to it as a reference. Maybe I’m a slow learner because more often than not, the second or third time through a book is where I gain the most valuable insights and takeaways. At least at that point, I’ve internalized it enough where I can find a valuable application in my life and know how to implement what I’ve learned.

Comfort Food: Other books I’ve read are just like my favorite movie. Sure I’ve seen Back to the Future a million times, but I love it just the same every time. Maybe, even more, the 50th time. Something about the comfort and pleasure of sitting down with that book, the story, the characters that you feel like you have known forever to share a few hours together again. Isn’t it the best? For example, after reading Open (Andre Agassi’s biography), I felt like I knew everyone. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I didn’t want the book to end. I was gripped in the coming of age story, the challenges in life and on the court. I actually cried while reading it. And yes, I’ve read it several times.

Here are a few of the many books I’ve read multiple times, and I’m sure I’ll read them again.

• Open – (Andre Agassi’s brutally honest biography. Read it now, thank me later)
• Road to Valor – (A True Story of World War II Italy, the Nazis, and Gino Bartali, a cyclist who inspired a nation as a humanitarian, saved the lives of hundreds of persecuted Jews, and was two-time Tour de France champion)
• 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos – (Jordan B. Peterson’s distilled rules for self improvement founded on thousands of years of evolutionary biology and human psychology)
• Start with Why – (Simon Sinek’s perspective that people don’t buy what we do, they buy “why we do it”)
• The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

Do you ever read the same book more than once? What books?